Anchors Aweigh
by condemnedOccupation
Summary: When Fluttershy, along with the rest of the Mane 6, is invited to act as an ambassador on a journey to a nation to the west on a mission to remove a ruthless dictator from power, she begins to realize how lonely she really is. What will happen when she bumps into a few new faces? Rated T for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

It was a very normal day so far at the Sugarcube corner. The Mane 6 had all received invitations to meet there with newly-crowned Princess Twilight, and were now gathered and awaiting her arrival. Rarity was chattering away with a disinterested-looking AppleJack across the table from Fluttershy, who was nibbling at a cupcake. Rainbow Dash was impatiently trotting around the room, flaring her wings and sighing, while Pinkie Pie bounced after her cheerfully.

"So you see, I just can't seem to find the hoofing or the management to open another branch of the boutique in Las Pegasus, however-"

Fluttershy, who was trying to seem invested in the conversation, ducked and squeaked as Dashie unceremoniously leapt over head to stand on the table.

"UGH where is Twilight?" interjected a frustrated Rainbow Dash.

"Come now, Rainbow dear, we've only been here for a few minutes." answered Rarity smoothly.

AppleJack took advantage of the opportunity to speak and said "I agree with RD on this one, I want to know what all the ruckus 'bout this 'big news' is."

As if on cue, Twilight burst through the door and shouted "Big news, girls!"

Fluttershy squeaked again and shot up to the ceiling. She grinned sheepishly and blushed when she realized it was Twilight, and followed the others' lead in gathering around to listen. Twilight cleared her throat, grinned widely, looked around the group, and began to speak. "We've all been invited to serve as Equestrian dignitaries on a trip to Przewalski!" Fluttershy and the others exchanged confused looks._ "What does that even mean?"_ thought Shy.

Rainbow Dash piped, "What the hay is Ze-val-skee?"

"Przewalski! It's the country to the west across the ocean. Equestria set up colonies there a few years ago. Don't you remember all the royal guards making rounds in the cities to find people who wanted to live there?" Twilight chirped.

A chorus of "oh's" and nods was supplied by the girls. They remembered hearing the name, but didn't know much about the nation itself. Fluttershy thought she recalled hearing that the southern region was mostly dry desert terrain, and the north was a cold, mountainous region.

"What exactly would ambassador work entail, Twilight?" asked Rarity.

"Well, I'm not gonna lie girls, this is a delicate situation. A self-proclaimed dictator, Emperor Nikolai Dzungar, has taken over the country. After we set up the colonies, it didn't take long for reports to reach Canterlot of the mistreatment of the Przewalski's Horses. The citizens of Przewalski are generally very docile and gentle, a very large and very primitive species. They are quite simple, to tell you the truth, but Emperor Dzungar has an abnormal knack for politcal sciences and little care for manners and social protocol. He might look like his head is full of rocks, and it very well may be, but right now he is threat to our citizens as well as his own. He has put many oppressive laws into action, and sources indicate that soon he will be making moves against our colonies in hopes to gain control of them too. We are going on this trip to reduce, or, hopefully, strip him of his power and put the government affairs into more responsible hooves."

The girls all exchanged uneasy looks, unsure of whether or not they'd be of any help in this complicated matter. Rainbow was the first to speak.

"Well Twi, if you think you need us to be there, then I'm with you all the way."

Rarity stepped forward as well, smiling. "It would be an honor to assist the crown in any way, and this will definitely boost my status among the nobility."

The other girls agreed one by one, and Twilight, delighted at her friends' dedication, clapped her front hooves together and spoke again. "Fantastic! Now then, we have a train to catch!"

Once everyone was packed and boarded the train, Twilight explained the itinerary for the trip. "This train will make a few stops on the way, one in Canterlot and one under Cloudsdale, but our final destination is Vanhoover to the northwest. From there we'll board the ocean liner Princess Pride and sail over the Western Riding Sea to Przewalski. It'll be a trip of a few days, so before we board the ship if you'd like I can cast a seasickness-prevention spell on you."  
Fluttershy watched as Rainbow's ears perked up from her seat across the car and she turned her head towards Twilight. "Wait, we're going by boat? Can't we just take the balloon?"

Twilight shook her head. "The weather over the Western Riding Sea isn't under Equestrian jurisdiction, so the weather is too unpredictable. Besides, the trip would be far too long to take the balloon, I'm not sure it could go that far without a stop, even without factoring in possible mishaps. It's much safer to go by boat."

AppleJack now turned and looked out the window. Fluttershy noticed AppleJack's withdrawal from the conversation, and tiptoed over, leaving the other girls to continue chattering excitedly. Being an earth pony, AJ would probably prefer keeping her hooves on solid ground.

"Um, AppleJack, are you okay?" Shy practically whispered.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine Shy. Don't you worry none about me." AppleJack smiled unconvincingly.

"Are you sure? You look a little sick..."

"Well, I guess I'm not too fond of the idea of taking a boat. I don't take too well to water. And I sure am gonna miss my family." AJ said with a sigh.

"Don't worry AppleJack, I'm not a big fan of ships either. And we'll only be gone for a few weeks." Fluttershy said, giving AJ her biggest smile.

"Yeah I guess you're right. Thanks, Shy." AppleJack trotted over closer to the group to listen again, leaving Fluttershy to her own thoughts.

She gazed out the window at the rolling green hills covering the lush landscape. She could faintly hear Twilight speaking behind her, but didn't pay much attention. Shy had a lot on her mind at the moment. Remembering what AppleJack said about missing her family, she thought back to their moments before boarding the train; it had seemed that all of the girls but her had someone to say goodbye to, someone there to see them off, someone who would miss them. AppleJack had her family, Rarity had Sweetie Belle, Twilight had Spike, Pinkie had the Cakes, and even Rainbow had little Scootaloo. While she had been standing by herself waiting to get on the train, everyone else was saying goodbyes to their loved ones.

_"I don't have anypony who's that close to me."_ She thought bitterly. She breifly pondered over her estranged family, but then shook her head. _"No. There's a reason we're estranged."_

Apparently she'd been lost in thought longer then she realized, because she soon felt the train squealing to a halt in Canterlot. Snapping out of her stupor, she looked around and realized it had grown dark. She noticed the others standing and followed suit.

"Okay girls, that's our cue to head to the sleeping car." Twilight announced, turning and leading the way. Fluttershy lingered at the back, trying not to call attention to herself. Once she got into the car, most of the girls had already chosen their beds and bunk-mates, and she looked around for a spot. She saw

Rainbow looking down from one of the top bunks and patting the spot next to her on the bed.

"C'mon up, Shy, you can bunk with me." She smiled at her technicolor friend and fluttered up next to her, landing softly on top of the blankets.

With a large yawn, Rainbow pulled back the sheets, drew the curtains shut, shielding their bunk from the view of the others, and settled down onto one of the pillows.

"I'm beat! I think I'm gonna hit the hay. Big day tomorrow anyways." said Dashie with a lazy smile. Fluttershy silently moved herself into the spot next to Rainbow, tucking her her legs up underneath herself and folding her wings. Rainbow pushed herself up off of her back with her front hooves and looked over at Fluttershy.

"You alright there, Shy? You're being quieter than usual, and that's saying something." She asked. Fluttershy rolled away from Rainbow, drawing the covers over herself defensively.

"Yes I'm fine thank you for asking." She rushed. Her ears twitched as her heard Rainbow rustling beside her.

"Well, if you say so." Came Rainbow's slow reply. After that, there was no more talking. When she heard Rainbow's gentle snores coming from the other side of the bed, Fluttershy let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, Fluttershy finally managed to fall into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

She awoke the next morning to the salty smell of the ocean. She was lying on her back with Rainbow's limbs sprawled across her body and the covers kicked to the end of the bed. She couldn't help but smile at her now loudly-snoring friend, before detangling herself and stretching her legs and wings. Looking out the window, she could just faintly make out the glint of sunlight off of the faraway sea and felt her stomach clinch nervously, unanxious to board the ship.  
She patiently waited until she heard her friends stirring in their bunks before rousing Dashie, drawing back the curtain, and floating down to join the others as they headed for the breakfast car.

Everyone was buzzing joyfully as they ate their breakfast of muffins, tarts, and various selections of fruits.

"Oh, I've heard the cuisine of Przewalski is simply divine!" cooed Rarity.

"Well I don't know nothin' about that, but I've heard they sure have ripsnortin' rodeos!" added AppleJack

"It's true, the food is very different and exotic and they have intense physical competitions. Though a more intriguing point of interest, in my opinion, is that they don't have pegasi or unicorns." said Twilight.

Fluttershy looked up from her cinnamon apple oatmeal in surprise. "No pegasi?" she asked.

"No unicorns, either?" asked Rarity incredulously.

Twilight shook her head. "Nope. Of course their size is an obvious physical advantage, but they're unlearned in the schools of magic and flight." she explained methodically.

"Just how big are these ponies?" inquired Pinkie.

"They can't be bigger than Macintosh." said AJ.

"Well, they actually aren't ponies. They're cobs, or small horses, so they're a good deal bigger than us, and I'd venture to say that even the smallest is still larger than Big Mac." Twilight replied.

Fluttershy's eyes widened. "But Big Mac is at least 11 hooves!"

"And Przewalski's Horses are usually around 13-15 hooves high." answered Twilight matter-of-factly. After a short, awed silence, Rainbow Dash stated what they were all thinking.

"They're big."

"Indeed," answered Twilight, "so we should definitely try to stay on Dzungar's good side as long as he's in power."

Fluttershy pushed away her plate, the prospect of confronting a gigantic, volatile horse in the hopes of stripping his power more than enough to chase away her appetite. Suddenly she heard the squealing of brakes and felt the train slowing. Her heart jumped into her throat and she dreaded getting off, now very much afraid of going to Przewalski. She reluctantly followed the others, who were similarly subdued and stone-faced, back to the sleeper car to gather what little luggage they had had time to pack.

As they stepped off onto the bustling platform of the station, the train hissed and released steam behind them. Twilight floated a few coins over to the conductor as he placed their bags beside them. He tipped his hat and jumped back onto the train, making the final call for the passengers pushing past them to board. The last few of them jumped on board, and the train shut its doors again and pulled away from the station.

The platform was empty now except for Fluttershy and the others. It was open-air, so they were already outside and, after grabbing their bags, followed Twilight down the small flight of stairs to the ground. They took a moment to stretch their legs and then continued on, Twilight in the front with a map and the rest falling in behind her.

"It looks like all we have to do is follow this road and eventually we'll reach the docks. The ship should already be there, so we can go aboard and find our cabin to load our luggage, but we won't be leaving the port until later this evening. I suggest we get back off and look around a little before we leave." Twilight listed, her four bags hovering alongside her in a cloud of pink.

Fluttershy floated along behind her, carrying a bag in each hoof and a saddlebag across her back. She glanced back at Rarity who was prancing along with five bags trailing behind her. AppleJack and Rainbow were traveling light, with only a saddlebag, and one other bag which AJ gripped in her teeth and Rainbow carried in her hoof. Pinkie Pie didn't have any bags at all, but somehow they all knew she had just as many things with her as anyone else.

They walked along the wooded trail making pleasant conversation and Fluttershy remaining silent, until the trees opened up around them and the town and docks came into sight. The small city of Vanhoover was busy with sailors, presumably from the Princess Pride, who were preparing to shove off later. As the group walked past the brightly-colored, wooden buildings, they made comments on the things they saw.

"Oh that curio shop is just darling!" said Rarity.

"Look, I can see the ship!" trilled Pinkie Pie as she bounded impossibly high into the air.

"There's a grocery store just down there, what do you say we go after we put up our bags?" suggested AppleJack.

Fluttershy didn't pay much attention, but dutifully followed the others. She was beginning to struggle under the weight of her bags; she wasn't used to flying with extra weight, or flying very much at all for that matter. Her saddlebag began sliding off of her back, and in her attempt to catch it she dropped her other bags on the ground. They both burst open, spilling her belongings all across the ground.

"Oh no!" she squeaked. The others continued on their way, unaware of what had happened, as Fluttershy had been bringing up the rear of the group. She touched down on the ground with a sigh and began the task of collecting her items when another pegasus pony swooped down next to her.

"Need any help ma'am?"


End file.
